The present invention relates to a device for cleaning teeth, and in particular for a teeth-cleaning device which has improved handling characteristics.
It is well known that small diameter lengths of wood or other soft material are useful as probes or "picks" in the removal of food particles trapped between human teeth. The stiff nature of these materials, when such materials are of sufficiently large diameter, provides the rigidity necessary to withstand the pressure applied to the probe to dislodge the trapped food particle. However, toothpicks have a number of disadvantages. First, their stiffness and necessarily large diameter prevent them from being inserted into the narrower recesses between the teeth. Second, the area of the pick which is effective in cleaning the teeth is limited to the tip of the toothpick which is in contact with the teeth. Third, since they are rigid, they are not useful in scrubbing dental plaque from tooth surfaces, since they are unable to conform to the shape of the tooth.
It is also well known that dental floss has the proper abrasive texture and flexibility to effectively remove dental plaque from tooth surfaces. In addition, the string-like quality of dental floss coupled with its small diameter allow the floss to be positioned in narrow recesses and shaped to conform to the shape of the tooth, thus providing greater effective cleaning area. As a result, dental floss is more effective at cleaning dental plaque from teeth than is a toothpick.
However, in order to use dental floss a certain minimum level of dexterity is required. This minimum level is often lacking in children under the age of 12 thus often precluding these persons from using dental floss effectively. In addition, because dental floss is string-like, it cannot be used in the manner of a toothpick.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,930,059, sections of ordinary dental floss are rigidized by thickening the floss with more of the same material it is made of or by reinforcing it by the application of a wax or plastic coating to render it resilient, firm, or rigid at periodic places along the roll of dental floss. These rigid portions act as a leader to guide the floss between the teeth and also to act as a pick. It also takes two hands to be properly manipulated.
This arrangement has several drawbacks, however. If the rigidized section is built up of more floss material or wax, it has little resiliency, and is deformable. This makes it difficult to use, for example, by a child. On the other hand, if a plastic material is used for this purpose, while it may be more resilient, it no longer has an exterior surface of a "floss" material. In other words, it is really a "pick" and not "floss."